Seaside nuclear power

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Chubu Electric Power Co.’s Hamaoka Nuclear Power Station in Japan is located at water level next to a beach. It is also widely reported to be one of the world’s most dangerous nuclear plants as it sits close to a major fault line – not unlike the one that caused the Fukushima nuclear disaster.

I had an offer of an exclusive tour of Chubu Nuclear Power Station where an 18-meter (60 ft) high and 1.6 km (1 mile) long tsunami defense wall has been built at a cost of $1.3 billion.

Being located beachside I immediately thought of basing the main photo for this trip on this famous â€śukiyoeâ€ť print by the artist Hokusai:

-The Great Wave off Kanagawa-

Hokusai (1760-1849) was a ukiyoe painter and printmaker during the Edo period. I guess that many people have seen this ukiyoe print.

I left Tokyo early with waders for fishing and a compact digital camera in a waterproof housing to get the photo I wanted. I was in time for the high tide.

I entered the sea with my compact camera protected by its housing and my most favorite camera, a Canon 5D Mk3. The waves moved much more quickly than they appeared to from land. It was so strong it was hard to stand, much less take a photograph.

Wonderful white waves crashed only a little in front of me, and I moved towards them for the picture regardless of the danger to my equipment.

The white spray lasted for only an instant. I had to decide whether to aim for “a good photograph” with my waterproof compact camera which is less responsive, or chose the more responsive camera and risk drowning it?

I chose to use my 5D Mk3.

Photographers get absorbed in their work when a good subject is in front of them.

A good wave came.

It crashed into a pillar standing in the sea and splashed high enough to hang over the building of the No. 5 reactor. The wave crashed on me, too.

I got wet through â€“ fortunately it was only me. The camera was safe.